Ian M

Hey folks! I just posted a poll to see who's interested in a weekly learning session & group ride at Mont Cascades, similar to what I organized last year. Who wants to be even more awesome? :D Each night would have a theme that suits what the group wants to learn and the conditions. Carving theory, drills, and lots of riding with individual feedback would be included. No cost to participants, but post-ride beverages, potted plants, and hugs are always appreciated :P Any questions? Ask 'em! Cheers, Ian M

Welcome Neil! As Paul said, Cascades is where you're most likely to find us this year, because many of us have bought passes there :) Feel free to send me your email address through the forum, so that I can let you know about meet-ups that get organized by email... there were many of those last year as most of us carvers are now in touch with each other. I really enjoyed our weekly sessions last year, and love riding with other folks and teaching carving skills. I've offered to run similar sessions this year, and we can revisit who's keen and when those folks are available shortly. The Ottawa crew are really great people, so come on out and make some artwork with 'em! Cheers, Ian :D

That's true, I did say that :P

Yeah yeah, sorry for the delay! MSM has just the main run open, but it is top to bottom. Conditions were quite good, soft natural and granular on top of icy base. Great in the morning, a little patchy in the afternoon but very few rocks :) Sure they'll have more open next weekend!

I'm still planning on riding tomorrow, probably Mont Ste Marie. They only have one run open, but so does Cascades, and MSM is noticeably taller :P Who wants to come play?

It looks more... pastoral than mountainous :P

Not yet! Thanks for filling in the 'Bogie story. Based on those tidbits of information, and Chris breaking his ankle there... I'm deciding that Calabogie is definitely cursed :P I had my own close call there a while ago; went to carve around a kid who was standing in the middle of a ramp, and discovered that there was a big gap between my run and the ramp, and that said gap also contained a snow hydrant. It all worked out, but was one of my bigger 'oh oh' moments. Hey Lowrider, have you used those T700 shells yet?

^ Wow, I had never heard of Dacre Heights until you mentioned it, Paul. It's easy to find on Google Maps, so if you wanna go hike it sometime, give me a shout. (Look NW of Calabogie lake, just before hwy #132) Can you fill in more of the story please? I don't understand the connection between it and 'Calabogie the cursed'.

^ You need more snowboards, Paul!! I'm booked this weekend, but am planning to ski/ride next Saturday the 30th. Somewhere local perhaps? MSM, Calabogie, or wherever the snow actually covers the rocks :P I'm going to save my limited weekday vacations for mid-season, when the snow is awesome, but thanks Paul!

^ We'll need some help from friends to enjoy this awesomeness :)

Wha? Crazy! Crazy awesome​ :D

^ Awesome, thanks Geoff and Steph :D

Awesome! Count me in. This is always a great time with great people :D Geoff, will you guys post a list of accommodation rates like last year, or should we contact Stratton ourselves?

Hey, speaking of the 14th, I'm organizing a pub meetup at the Clocktower in the Glebe, Thursday November 14th, 7-9pm. Come on out and get your stoke on for the season! Meet other carvers and skiers, talk technique, gear, trips, etc :D Fun! Sorry, I'm not really familiar with their opening dates. I'd think that some of the larger mountains might be opening around that time, though :D

No, but it's raining hardcore. Rain is snow's ugly cousin, right?

Good stuff! 3 degrees of canting is pretty extreme though, I recommend that you stay at zero unless your knees tell you otherwise. Small changes here make large differences to your balance and to the board response, so I would strongly suggest your initial setup to be zero canting, approximately 3 degree lift on your front toe, and the same lift on the rear heel. If you ride that for a while and then experiment, you'll get a great feel for whether altering that setup actually helps you or not. Carpet riding is fun, but doesn't show you much of the balance/response. Too bad, 'cause otherwise I'd be carving all summer :P

Yup, the 175 Metal FC is a great board, haven't ridden the REV yet but believe it is designed for use with a plate only. (It'd be too stiff on its own)

^ Cool. Do you know what kind of board you're looking for? We can keep an eye out for you... but knowing approximate length, sidecut, and width would be helpful. There's a used Prior WCRM in the classifieds right now for $600, 169cm x 11m x 195mm. I've heard good things about the Priors, but have yet to ride one.

This can be a positive in the sense that it is much like a balance drill... it makes you focus on balancing from your feet up, quieting your upper body. I encourage students to try this all the time. My advice is not to worry about the injured part while on snow. Do your physio or get physio in the off-season, but then focus on how to ride strong and balanced with the majority of your body... but not relying on having your hands out for balance. Ride like you don't need your arms to kill it :P

Cool Johnny! You're getting some gear together :). Do you have a deck to mount the binders on? I forget. Did the bindings come with toe/heel lift spacers? Try to set them up with 3-4 degrees of lift if you've ridden flat before... you'll love it XD

Brrrrr.... such a turn-off

Ah, what a feeling! A brand new thread; a blank slate for the upcoming season... full of amazing possibilities with fellow snow junkies and g-force addicts :D Best wishes to everyone for a fantastic season! In case new carving folk are finding this thread, many of us have begun to discuss season's passes and weekly carve sessions via email. If you're interested in a night pass for Mont Cascades or regular sessions with other riders (including teaching or not), then send me a message through the forum and we'll loop you in. If you're new to carving or new to the area, please post and say hi! So, who's stoked for the season? What's the silliest thing you can think of to do on your snowboard this year? Let's make a list... :D

^ those are great fat skis, but why is one shorter than the other? :P

I'm late to the party on this one, but a big thanks to all three of you for your past and future efforts. It means so much to maintain this creative and respectful space. Great work Jack, and good luck on the new job! Ian :)

Wow... that is a nice vid!!